Sermon Audio

Jesus has now been revealed as the Son of God. No longer is He living in obscurity. Now, Johnny arrives on the scene, and he acts as every preacher should: "Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!"

He's been doing this for a while. After all, He was called by God to make straight the way to the Son of God; he was set apart from before He was born, much like we heard from Isaiah this morning. But now, now that Jesus has been Baptized, now John can point to the Son of God and make the proclamation. Now, John can decrease that the Son of God may increase. "Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!"

In other words, don't look at John. Don't look at the preacher. Look to whom he points. John is nothing to look at. The preacher is nothing to behold. He is there only to point and proclaim, to prepare and make straight, to give that which is greater than he. No, look not at John, look not at the preacher, look to Jesus. "Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!"

Funny thing is, Jesus isn't much to look at either. Now, none of us can be certain what He looks like. We can almost be certain that He doesn't look like the European depicted in renaissance art (I know, I seem to be picking on renaissance art, lately)—perfectly beautiful; soft-skinned; well-groomed, flowing hair, etc. Quite the contrary, I would assume, given how Isaiah described Him. He would have had a middle-eastern complexion; He would be hard-looking (he was into carpentry, after all), calloused hands—a true grit of the earth sort of man—but without a blemish or spot. Still, look at Him, for He is your salvation. "Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!"

And here's the thing about Lambs: they are the animals of sacrifice. That's what they were used for.

It goes back to Abraham and Isaac on Moriah. Isaac, knowing that there's going to be a sacrifice, calls to his father. Choking back tears, Abraham answers, "Here I am, my son." "Look, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?" Hardly able to contain himself, Abraham replies, "My son, God will provide for Himself the lamb for a burnt offering." Isaac is bound, placed on the altar, and just before Abraham swings the knife, his arm is stayed, and God provides the ram. Tears of sorrow and anxiety turn to tears of joy, and the lamb is sacrificed, a substitute for Isaac. (cf. Genesis 22:7-13)

It goes back to the days in Egypt just before the Exodus. God would be passing through Egypt and strike down the firstborn in all the houses, both man and animals. But, on those houses whose door frames were covered with the blood of a sacrificed lamb, God would passover. The firstborn in that house was spared death, covered, as it were, with the blood of another. The lamb had been sacrificed, a substitute for the firstborn in that house. (cf. Exodus 12)

The practice continued through to Jesus' time—Passover...the Day of Atonement, in fact, every day. Lambs' would continually be sacrificed, blood spilling from their necks. They would be roasted and consumed. And by this, the one who offered the lamb would be forgiven—he and his family and perhaps his neighbor's family which may have been too small for a lamb of their own. The lamb would be slain in their place—their substitute—having received the sins confessed over it as hands were placed on it, as if to transfer the sins to it. "The soul who sins shall die," Ezekiel proclaimed (Ezekiel 18:4d); and so the lamb who bears their sins dies in their place. The lamb is sacrificed, a substitute for the sinner.

It all seems so barbaric to us. Bloodshed and burnt offerings—it all seems so messy and malodorous and unnecessary. It seems so foreign and ancient, the dark rituals of peoples of another time long ago and place far away. Animal sacrifices are so out of place and unpalatable and criminal in our more sensible and wiser minds. In this day and age, we've moved past that, we like to think.

"Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!" "[W]ithout shedding of blood there is no remission." (Hebrews 9:22b) Actually, we haven't moved past that, but moved into that...through that; into and through the sacrifice of One whose blood is spilled for the atonement of the world, once for all. This One is the Lamb of God—the Son of God—whose blood is the forgiveness of your sins. He is your substitute sacrifice.

Yet not all receive this, and no one receives it as they ought; bloody sacrifices are things we don't want. Yet, we still realize, somehow, that, someway, things need to be made right with God...with a god. So, sacrifices are still made, sacrifices of a different sort. Offerings of good works are made, as if these are somehow enough to cover up the multitude of bad works. Offerings of guilt are made, as if the promises to do better are somehow enough to cover up the multitude of bad works. Sacrifices of blood, sweat, and tears are made, as if a little blood-letting and self-mutilation are somehow enough to cover up the multitude of bad works.

"The soul that sins shall die." Or, "the wages of sin is death." (Romans 6:23a) The only payment that is enough to cover up the multitude of bad works—to cover the multitude of sins—is death. The only way to be free of the guilt and bad works—to be free of the sin—is for a life to be given over to death in order to pay the wages. That's what the author of the letter to the Hebrews meant when he said that there is no remission without the shedding of blood; shedding of blood means sacrifice, and this sacrifice means death. "[T]he blood of Jesus Christ...cleanses us from all sin." (1 John 1:7b) "Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!" His is the only blood—His the only life—that is sufficient payment for your sins. Your own works avail you nothing, for "all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags," (Isaiah 64:6b) but Jesus is your perfect Substitute, your Lamb without blemish, your Sacrifice.

Yes, He who knew no sin became sin for you. That is, after all, what it means to be your substitute. He took your place; He took your sins from you; He died in your place.

• "He became the idolator, though He feared, loved, and trusted God above all things."
• "He became the blasphemer, though He lived and spoke the Name of God in purity."
• "He became the Sabbath breaker, though He kept the Sabbath perfectly, honoring God's Word."
• "He became the disobedient Son, though He was obedient to His parents" and other authorities.
• "He became the murderer, though He never laid hands on another...except in blessing and healing."
• "He became the adulterer, though He was chaste and pure in thought, word, and deed."
• "He became the thief, though He never took a penny from another."
• "He became the liar, though He spoke the truth with every breath."
• "He became the restless coveter, though He was content to live by every word that proceeded from the mouth of God."

Jesus is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, and like all those sacrificial lambs before Him, He takes upon Himself—He takes into His own flesh and blood—the sins of the world, bears them to the cross, and dies with them.

In exchange, He gives you perfect remission of your sins, washing you clean by His blood, as you are drowned and rose again to newness of life in Holy Baptism, and as you consume the flesh of the blood of the Lamb of God and drink His blood. You receive from Him life, for "for the blood is the life" (Deuteronomy 12:23) and Jesus said, "Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day." (John 6:54) "Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!" He has given you faith in Baptism to receive this, and your faith, no matter how small, receives everything He has to give!

And He gives it all so much better than we receive any of it. Let's face it, He is a better giver than we are receivers. Oh so often does Old Adam rear his ugly head and tells us that, just this once, we don't need it; "it's only a small sin, you can make up for it." Or he'll convince you that you did not sin when in fact you had, therefore you don't need any grace and forgiveness. All too often, we fall back into old habits, the old habits of the fallen flesh which rebels against God and refuses what He has to give. And yet, He still gives; He gives far more abundantly than we deserve—as the Psalmist says, our cups run over. (cf. Psalm 23:5d) He gives and forgives, because of a love for us far beyond our comprehension—a love by which He sent His Son, the Lamb of God, to take our sin upon Himself and die in our place, the perfect Substitute.

And so John points to Him and proclaims. So, the preacher points to Him and proclaims. He points you away from yourself and to your God—your Maker and Redeemer. "Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!" Look to Him for your remission; He is your Substitute who took your sin upon Himself and died your death. That is, He is the world's Redeemer, therefore He is your Redeemer.

John pointed Jesus out to his disciples. Andrew goes and tells his brother. Just after our lesson, Philip tells Nathanael. This same privilege is yours, dear hearers. You have been found by the Lamb of God, your sins are covered by His blood, atoned for, forgiven. You, too, can be like Andrew and Philip, inviting others—those who have not received faith, those who have refused faith—inviting them to receive from the Lamb of God what you also have received: "Come and see!"

Yes, Jesus is the Lamb of God. He is the world's Redeemer. He is every man and woman's Substitute. John is there to proclaim it. The preacher is there to proclaim it. You, too, can be like John, like the preacher, pointing not to your own good works or good attitude, but to the one who cleanses you, who died in your place, who shed His blood for you and for the world. In so doing, you, too, must decrease so that He can increase, and then you can say with John and with the preacher, "Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!"

This privilege is yours because Christ is yours, your Lamb of God, your Redeemer, your Substitute. He was born under the Law for you. He came and was Baptized for you. He became sin for you. He died in your place with your sin And you, dear Baptized, have been Baptized into the Lamb of God, the Redeemer, the Substitute—that's what makes Him yours, that's what makes you His. And since you are His, He gives you perfect remission, covers you with His blood, gives you life in His blood—forgives you for all of your sins. "Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!"